How I Got Started in Network Marketing

I will be totally honest with you - I had zero intention of starting a business, when I signed up with Stella & Dot. 

My house had just been broken into, I was 3 weeks away from giving birth to my 3rd son (in 2 1/2 years) and I had actually never heard of the company until about 3 days before I signed up. Truth be told, all I really wanted was the discount. 

It made sense in my business brain that if I was going to be buying a bunch anyways (to replace the jewelry that had been stolen) I may as well do it with a discount.

That said, I was an entrepreneur at heart. I started a Wedding Planning business in my 20's, that I ran for the better part of a decade and I started an online Children's Consignment Shop after my 2nd son was born. It had over 2000 members, 15 consignment clients and pick up locations all over the place. It was an empire that brought in about $200-$300/month for hours and hours of work. And I loved it.

So, I did what any budding entrepreneur with zero intention of selling something did - I handed out the discount to my friends and family, without ever really admitting that there was this budding thought inside of me that it could become more.

But the truth is - the more I looked at what was sitting in my lap ...the more intrigued I became.

I remember the first $17 I ever made from a complete stranger online. 

I went running into Wayne, super excited about the wallet I just sold - to someone who was randomly following the FB Business Page I had haphazardly and with very little intention, set up.

And if I had to pinpoint a moment in time when the spark was ignited - that was definitely one of them.

The next one came about 6 months in, when I (again with very little intention) signed up my first Stylist to my team.

We barely knew one another, but there was a sign up deal going on that she saw and so she started asking me questions. Once I assured her that there was very little risk, she did the unthinkable, and signed up under me. And my friends - I assure you, I had zero idea at the time, what that meant.

Little did I know that she would become one of my very best friends. My sidekick for the next 7 years. That she would show me just how incredible this business could be, and she would get me excited about doing parties, which I had formerly thought would be horrible. She would brainstorm with me, she would cheer me on, she would be a forever friend.

I remember driving home from her launch party and thinking - "huh, that was a ton of fun." And also, "wow, I just made money."

I learned 2 things from that experience - 

#1. That the party format was the easiest money in the entire world, and also a shit ton of fun.

#2. That having women join the business underneath me, was the easiest money that ever existed.

And honestly, that's really where my true adventure began.

8 months after I signed up, I threw my own launch party. I packed the house with family and friends, and loved every single second. 

I then set a goal of hosting 2-4 parties every single month, and using my warm market to get those started.

I knew that if I could get my friends and family to host with me, that I would meet a ton of new people and would be able to book new parties from each of those. Thus, growing my business outside of my friends and family zone. So that's what I did. And bless my family and friends, because for the most part - many of them played along. And really helped me to get started.

Now, it's important to note that this isn't so different from what I lead women through now when they are just getting started.

The difference now is that we have the online world available to us. Back in the day, we were on FB but people really hadn't discovered building a business there yet. And we weren't even on Instagram ....so the in home, in person method was the way that we did it.

But it's the same, right?

You host your launch with your friends and family. Making sure that absolutely everyone you know, now knows that you have launched a brand new business. And what it is all about. And then if you are lucky, they will help you reach a wider market, by introducing you to their family and friends. Giving you a customer base.

And honestly - the quicker you can catapult yourself outside of your friends and family zone, the better. It is so much better to build a business when you have customers who love the products, on top of loving you.

And I think that wraps up chapter 1 - how I got started. In the next chapter, I will share a bit more about my time with Stella & Dot - what I learned, how I grew and what happened when they changed their business model.

You can also listen to the podcast episode where I share this chapter of my life HERE.